Nerd Alert!

    Howdy y'all!  I apologize for being MIA last Thursday, but I honestly couldn't think of anything to write about and I didn't want to type out filler just because it was Thursday, so I spared you all that grief, (you're welcome).  It's hard to come up with content sometimes, so some days you just have to say "screw it" and wait until something comes to you, as all great writers have done.  Regardless of my brain fart last week, I'm coming to you this week with some great news!

    First of all, unrelated to the main point of this post, I have recently come into what normal people would call a "paycheck," so I used that to get me the newly released and gorgeous Queen of Shadows by the lovely and talented Sarah J. Maas.  I bought it yesterday while I was still in the middle of the third book, Heir of Fire, but I thought, "What the heck, why not?"  So here I am, already a quarter of the way through it because I JUST CANNOT STOP.  The fandom is real people.  So, as you might have already guessed, I'll be adding Queen of Shadows to my already impressive list of September books to wrap up in a few weeks.  I feel like I've read so much this month and it's only the fifteenth...  Keep that in mind, because I may very well add more to my TBR list if I keep this pace up.

    The main reason we're here today is for another installment of Nerd Alert, where I talk about something nerdy and relevant to not only my life, but hopefully yours as well.  Last week some information dropped out of Nintendo that had me literally crying with happiness and I've come to share that with you, (if you live under a rock and haven't heard or don't care, there's something wrong with you).  Pokemon Go is happening and all my elementary school dreams have come true.

(www.vg247.com)

    A little history for you regarding me and my love for Pokemon: it all started when I was eight years old and 1998 was a good time to be alive.  My younger sister and I started collecting and playing with the cards that were released in droves like a parasite, seeping into our daily lives and our friendships at school as well.  It was nothing like it is today, where kids will play dirty, steal cards from others and cheat until they get their way.  Parents, school officials and guidance counselors have gotten involved with some of the nasty things kids will do to protect their cards these days.  1998 was a simpler time, where kids enjoyed playing and battling with each other without the risk of espionage.  So after awhile, my sister and I also received our first taste of the Game Boy system, and what a world that was.  It was so new and exciting that I was consumed by it, playing any time I could, connecting with my friends at school, after school and at home through a link cable, (you know, when we didn't have wireless connectivity everywhere?)  I loved the Pokemon games more than the cards, and thus began my love affair with the pocket monsters.

(DSHikarudesign.blogspot.com)

    I still have my Pokemon Blue version for my Game Boy Pocket, which is green and only displays in black and grey, (NO color until I got my Game Boy Color, obviously).  I took a hiatus from playing because I was too cool for that in high school or something and re-introduced myself to Pokemon two years ago, when I bought myself a Nintendo 3DS with some of my Christmas money, (because I'm an adult), along with the new Pokemon X game.  I hadn't played since I got my Game Boy Advance years ago, so this 3DS was new to me.  Once I got used to it, I could really see the similarities to the older games.  Little did I know Pokemon would evolve again into something none of us could've fathomed at eight years old.

    I saw the trailer for Pokemon Go at work, actually, through a kind customer who had the decency to show me.  I was entranced, the nostalgia flowing freely through me, as I beheld the glorious footage.  I will link the video below so you can all watch and be amazed!

    Little is known about this system or how it will work.  I've read a lot about similar types of games or apps that failed because the desire or technology wasn't enough.  This time I think they will be able to grab people with the sheer magnitude of what this could become for gamers and/or Pokemon enthusiasts, both young and old.  The game seems to be based around GPS coordinates guiding people through their phones or a small watch-like Poke ball accessory towards various types of Pokemon in the real world.  If you've played Pokemon before, or even watched the show on TV or played the card game, you'll know how incredible this would be if it worked well.  The trailer also implies that you'll be able to trade and battle with friends and also battle wild Pokemon.  Although the game is being released sometime next year, there still isn't enough information out about this game.  We'll have to wait and see what Nintendo has in store for us, but regardless of how it works, I'm definitely on board with this.

(www.polygon.com)

    So what do you think?  Do you like Pokemon, or did you used to when you were little?  What is your favorite Pokemon?  Were you more of a card player or Game Boy addict?  Would you get this app for your phone when it comes out? (maybe I'll do a review of it!)  What would you like to know more about the Pokemon Go app?  Let's discuss in the comments below.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.

(bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net)

Nerd Alert

    Welcome back to Thursday!  I can't believe it's been a full week already, but I guess time seems to move a lot faster towards the end of the semester.  As you probably could've guessed, I've been neck-deep in readings and writing assignments for both of my classes with even more on the way.  Not to mention I may be taking on more responsibility at work, meaning more hours for me, but less for subbing.  In fact, I will most likely have to give up substituting all together, seeing as I won't be able to return next year.  It's bittersweet because I love those kids and I will miss them terribly, but I will probably see them again.  They were the ones who made teaching fun for me, so I owe them a lot, including the credit for how I teach in the future.  I'm currently trying to get in to two different summer camp opportunities, one right in town, so if both of those fail, I have a few back-up options available.  Hopefully something works out because I definitely need some sort of summer job.
    As promised, I have almost a full week of reviews lined up from the latest batch of shows and I'm ready to get started!  If you don't know by now that there are SPOILERS ahead, you don't deserve the ability to read.

    1. Once Upon a Time this past Sunday was very informative.  We got to learn a little more about the witch, where she came from and how she fit into the Oz story line.  What I wasn't expecting was the reasoning for her skin condition, ("green with envy" seemed a bit too cliche for my taste, but that's just me...), and the fact that Walsh, Emma's ex-fiance, was once the Great and Powerful Oz before being turned into a flying monkey by the vengeful Zelena.  I am curious about how Charming's courage and Regina's heart will play into Zelena's secret spell, as well as where she will ultimately find the brain she undoubtedly needs.  My money is on Rumple, but obviously anything goes now, so we'll just have to wait and see.  Where will Zelena find the brain she needs for her spell?  Will Regina finally let the the people ship Robina?  WHY does the witch still want Snow's baby?  Sound off in the comments below.

    2. Game of Thrones premiered this past Sunday as well, but I only watched it yesterday.  I have to say, it didn't wow me, but it did provide the perfect transition into the new season.  The recap was surprisingly tame with hints of the slaughter at the Red Wedding.  We haven't gotten a close up of those traitors yet, so who knows what'll happen to them.  My guess is nothing, so long as the Lanisters remain in power and no one stands to oppose them.  There is also a wedding on the rise as Joffrey and Margaery Tyrell prepare to tie the knot, (possibly physically as well as figuratively...hopefully).  We all see how this could potentially be his undoing, but we'll see if this minx can sink her claws into him.  I have a feeling that they're both going to be around for a while, so get comfortable with that.  I'm glad we got to see a little more of Jon Snow's dark side, coming back from the wildling ambush last season.  He's bitter and hopeless, exactly what you want to fight a raid of wild people and some frozen zombies headed your way.  He seems a lot stronger, now that he has no need to worry about what might be left of his family.  I'm sure he'd be mighty proud of Arya if he saw her now, but who knows if we'll ever get that tearful reunion, (I would sob).  I hope they build her character into the warrior she should be because she's probably my favorite character of this entire show.  I know she makes it pretty far, so we'll see.  What do you think will happen to Sansa?  Or Shae, for that matter?  How about the sudden repulsion from sexual contact by more than one couple?

    3. Bones this week impressed me greatly.  I don't usually talk about Bones, but it has been one of my Monday night shows for a very long time.  The scenario was that a murdered woman worked at a cannabis dispensary, growing her own super-medicinal strain on the side for terminally ill patients.  This woman also had Lupus, which is something I've struggled with for the majority of my life.  These two facts bring together some legal and moral issues that I don't think any show has tackled so far.  They are very touchy subjects with very little positive messages attached.  There is minimal research and known treatments for Lupus, so having cannabis provide the relief not only for the terminally ill, like Wendell, who came back for this episode after starting chemotherapy, (I cried seeing him because I love his character so much!), was great to see.  This episode brought to light some issues regarding holistic cancer treatments and the legal use of cannabis as a medicinal aid for joint pain and other maladies associated with Lupus and other chronic illnesses.  It just made me really happy to see those issues addressed in a public forum, even if it was a television show.  Best episode of the season so far!

    4. Agents of Shield brought the WOW factor this week, as we come back from watching Captain America: Winter Soldier.  The events of this episode coincide directly with the events of the movie; everything is happening all at once.  If you didn't get to see the movie before Tuesday, you may have been totally lost, but it was still an eye-opener to be sure.  We see S.H.I.E.L.D. overrun with Hydra forces, allowing two of Coulson's close friends to become moles within his team.  We didn't get to see who the Clairvoyant was until the end, but I had an immediate feeling that Agent Hand, although a huge bitch, was not the bad guy.  She would've been too obvious!  I think the fact that it was Coulson's friend Garrett made it even harder for him to take, considering all they had been through together up until that point.  Garrett gave absolutely no sympathy, but was promptly arrested and taken into custody by Hand and Ward, who forced himself into that situation by claiming he needed to take revenge on his role model.  Needless to say I wasn't surprised when Ward pulled the trigger on everyone but Garrett.  I'm disappointed with Ward, after all he did for Skye and Coulson, to turn on them like that.  I have a feeling that he will switch sides again by the end of the season, but we'll see.  Where do they go from here?  Will FitzSimmons EVER become a thing?  Will Simmons's dark, handsome friend be joining the team now that Ward has defected?  You can't trust anyone...

    Those are all the reviews I have for this week.  If there is a particular show that you'd like me to check out, (if I haven't already), let me know in the comments below.  At the moment, I'm creating a unit to teach to one of my classes next week on gaming and identity practices using RPGs.  It's been an interesting ride so far and I've learned a lot about my own game play decisions.  We'll be using Skyrim, Balder's Gate and Pokemon as references.  I'm pretty excited about this lesson and hope that it'll shed some light on different teaching ideas when combating similar situation in an English setting.  I'll also be completing a close-read of a public figure for my Friday class blog post this week.  I think I'm going to do Tyler Oakley, seeing as he's the most spread out over social media.  I'll be looking closely at how Tyler portrays himself in public as well as through his various social media outlets in order to gain a deeper look into his true persona.  All of the work I'm doing right now in my classes is super fun and imaginative, so I highly recommend going to grad school if you have the chance.  I never thought I'd get this much agency into what I learn about and how I learn it, even though it can be difficult at times, (seriously, when is school not difficult?), I've enjoyed every minute of this experience and don't regret a thing.  I'm looking forward to May and the teacher I will become next year.
    Speaking of teaching, I've reconnected with my advisor and I've been set up with a few prospective teachers in different areas who haven't been placed yet.  First stop is a high school, which isn't really where I thought I'd be, but at this point, I'll take it.  I may very well end up in an eighth grade classroom, but for now I can't be picky.  I'll keep you all updated on how that's going and as soon as I know my placement I'll be shouting it from the rooftops.  Until then, I just have to keep trucking on this reading assignment.  Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.